The two-member Korean boy band Bily Acoustie took home the Grand Prix trophy at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Radio Song Festival on Thursday for their performance of “For a Rest,” a mid-tempo acoustic folk song inspired by everyday life. Thirteen finalists from 10 countries including Australia, Brunei, Malaysia and Bhutan performed at the ABU 49th general assembly at KBS Hall on Thursday. All the contestants were unsigned musicians and were judged by an international selection committee b

Rene Magritte paintings recreated by renowned Korean photographer Kim Jung-manThe celebrated photographer Kim Jung-man has always photographed objects as they are, without alteration. But for the first time in his 38-year career, he had to use Photoshop editing techniques to recreate paintings of Belgian Surrealist painter Rene Magritte with photographs. “The recreation of one of the greatest artists was meaningful because no one has ever tried to do it before,” Kim said at a news conference las

BUSAN (AFP) ― A low-budget, experimental production from Thailand and a gripping Lebanese drama shared the main award at Asia’s largest film festival, which drew to a close on Saturday.Jurors for the New Currents award at the Busan International Film Festival described first-time Thai director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s “36” as “breathtaking” while praising the “extraordinary sympathy” director Maryam Najafi was able to draw from her audience throughout her entry “Kayan.”Both productions recei

Korean actors Bang Eun-jin and Lee Jae-hoon hosts the closing ceremony of the 17th Busan International Film Festival in Busan on Saturday. (Yonhap News)The 10-day Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) closed Saturday after demonstrating its growing stature as Asia's largest film event.The curtains came down with the screening of "Television," a family-focused movie directed by Mostafa Farooki f

Exhibition“Erwin Olaf”: Gallery Kong holds the first solo exhibition of Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf in Korea. The international award-winning photographer exploits his experience as a successful commercial photographer and creates his own distinctive style. Through his photos, Olaf explores social problems of the day such as isolation and hidden racial discrimination. He shows two most recent series “The Keyholes” and “Dawn and Dusk” that involve different mediums such as installation, photogr

DJ Havana Brown runs the nightHavana Brown“When the Lights Go Out”(Universal)Call up your friends for a night of drinking, dancing and raving with DJ Havana Brown’s debut album “When the Lights Go Out.”As a newcomer to the scene, this Australian DJ’s first studio album with five tracks is the kind of club playlist you’d hope for during a night out with your friends while letting your inhibitions run free. Brown’s first single, “We Run the Night,” featuring hip-hop hit-maker Pitbull, keeps your b

A Company Man (Korea)Opened Oct. 11Action. Thriller. Directed by Lim Sang-yoon. Hyeong-do (So Ji-sub) is a professional killer. He works for an organization that disguises itself as an ordinary metal manufacturing company. He never makes a mistake, is loyal to his boss, and is always on top of things. He is one of the most trusted killers in the organization; he does not have a life outside his work, as he has no family to take care of, and has no friends to spend time with. One day, however, he

The physical requirements for the scene weren’t complicated. Bryan Cranston, who plays CIA manager Jack O’Donnell in director Ben Affleck’s hostage rescue drama “Argo,” had to walk from one office to another, and as laid out in a Los Angeles set late last year, a straight line ran from point A to point B.But before Cranston took a step, Affleck pulled the actor aside and redirected him.Iranian militants had just stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, and details about the 1979 takeover were muddled

BUSAN ― Afghan director Siddiq Barmak remembers watching helplessly as reel upon reel of film footage was taken outside and burned in the street after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.He also remembers the effort it took to save other films from destruction after the extremist forces marched into Kabul in 1996.Barmak and other Afghan filmmakers this week warned that efforts to save Afghanistan’s film history were being undermined by government inaction and concerns about security ahead of a

NEW YORK (AP) ― Tom Hanks will play a gutsy New York City newspaper columnist when he makes his debut on Broadway in the spring. Producers of Nora Ephron’s play “Lucky Guy” announced Thursday that Hanks will play Mike McAlary in the stage biography. Hanks, a two-time Oscar winner, had been in negotiations for the role when Ephron died this summer. Previews begin March 1 at the Broadhurst Theatre and an opening night is set for April 1. McAlary, the city’s one-time dominant tabloid reporter, got

Norbert Leo Butz and Katie Holmes began rehearsals Monday for the Broadway comedy “Dead Accounts,” the show‘s producers said.Theresa Rebeck’s play is being directed by three-time Tony Award-winner Jack O‘Brien.Co-starring Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton and Jayne Houdyshell, “Dead Accounts” is to begin previews Nov. 3 in preparation for a Nov. 29 opening night at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre.“Jack‘s unexpected return throws his family into a frenzy, and his sister Lorna needs answers,” a synopsis said

Lee Won-kuk Ballet showcases Korean-War tale ‘Eyes of Dawn’While Korea’s traditional folktales such as “Chunhyang” and “Simcheong” have been made into ballet pieces by major local troupes here, no company has tried to create an original repertoire featuring the nation’s turbulent modern history.Former Korean National Ballet dancer Lee Won-kuk’s upcoming project “Eyes of Dawn” aims to do exactly that, telling the story of three young souls who live through the Japanese colonial period as well as